Housing

Traveller Accommodation Programme Consultation

Housing Plans

Under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998, the Council is required in consultation with Travellers and the general public to prepare and adopt a five year Traveller Accommodation Programme.

The Council adopted a Traveller Accommodation Programme for the period 2025 - 2029 on November 11, 2024.‌

Under Section 21 of the Housing Act (Traveller Accommodation) 1998 a Local Authority is required to appoint an Accommodation Consultative Committee, comprised of Councillors, Traveller Representatives and Council Officials.

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2025 - 2029

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019 to 2024

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2014 -2018

Website Update

Fingal County Council have been providing Traveller specific accommodation in its administrative area since its formation in 1994.

The Council is committed to providing high quality Traveller specific accommodation within the County.

Under the Traveller Accommodation Act 1998, Fingal County Council is required to prepare, adopt and implement a Traveller Accommodation Programme to meet the needs of the county’s Traveller community.

The Housing Department manages all Traveller specific stock, including the maintenance and day to day management of all of the group housing schemes and halting sites and the allocation of properties under Fingal County Council’s Housing Allocations Scheme: https://www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2020-02/housing-allocations-scheme-document.pdf

Fingal County Council’s opening hours: Phonelines are open from 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Thursday and Friday 9.00am – 4.30pm. Outside of these hours, for maintenance issues, our Out of Hours will take your call and register your issue. Tenants are advised to consult their Tenant Handbook prior to contacting Fingal County Council.

Contact for the other three Dublin Local Authorities are detailed below. Please note if you are not a resident of the Fingal Administrative Area, and your local connection in in another Dublin area, please contact your local County Council as below:

Dublin City Council
Block 1, Floor 2, Civic Offices (Fishamble St. Entrance), Dublin 8
Telephone: 01 2222222
Email: [email protected]

South Dublin County Council
Traveller Accommodation Unit, South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Telephone: 01 4149000
Email: [email protected] "> [email protected]

Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown County Council
County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, A96 K6C9
Telephone: 01 2054700
Email: [email protected]

Traveller Accommodation Programme

The purpose of this programme is to plan expenditure, development and maintenance of the current accommodation within the Fingal Area to maximise occupancy and establish structures to encourage greater resident participation building active and inclusive communities.

The Council adopted a Traveller Accommodation Programme for the period 2025 - 2029 on November 11, 2024.‌ details of this and others are available for review below.

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2025 - 2029

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019 to 2024

Traveller Accommodation Programme 2014 -2018

Accommodation

Traveller specific accommodation is available county wide and includes both Halting Sites and Group Housing Schemes.

If you wish to apply for any Traveller specific accommodation, you must be registered as an active social housing applicant. In order to apply for social housing you must complete the Social Housing Application Form and submit it, along with the required supporting documentation to the Housing Support Team. On page 15 of the application form, you can note your preference for Traveller specific accommodation and further information can be provided in the free text box on page 21, under Part 12: Other Information.

There are a number of options available for accommodation detailed within this form such as Halting Sites, Group Housing and Standard Stock.

Once an allocation of accommodation has been provided, regardless of the type, all tenants are expected to adhere to their Tenancy Agreement and are provided with a tenant handbook, **LINK** which lays out the tenant responsibilities both in their accommodation and as part of the greater community around them.

Tenants are expected to pay their rent, contribute to the general maintenance of the property, in line with their tenant handbook, support the development of their local community and adhere to the Council’s Antisocial Behaviour Strategy.

A number of supports are available for all tenancy types including assistance if you experience difficulty in paying your rent, if you are experiencing anti-social behaviour or if you require additional supports to maintain your tenancy.

To discuss your rent please contact: %72ents.%[email protected] " rel="nofollow"> [email protected]

To discuss your caravan loan repayment contact : [email protected]

Alternatively, please contact Traveller MABS https://www.ntmabs.org/ for help and advice on money and budgeting.

For all other queries, please contact our Customer Care Team on 01 890 5000

Caravan Loan Scheme

Following the pilot Caravan Loan Schemes which have been operating since 2021, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is introducing a National Preferential Caravan Loan Scheme for Travellers, under Section 25 of the Traveller Accommodation Act 1998.

The Scheme is to support the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation through their Local Authority to provide preferential loans to Travellers to purchase their own caravan/mobile home on halting sites for use as their primary residence.

To apply for a caravan loan, you must complete the attached Caravan Loan Application Form, ensuring that all sections are complete and return to [email protected] . Please note you must be a resident of the Fingal Administrative Area and currently be resident on a serviced Fingal Halting Site. Applications for the Caravan Loan Scheme are open until 31st March 2026.

If you wish to apply for a caravan loan, you must be registered as an active social housing applicant. In order to apply for social housing you must complete the Social Housing Application Form and submit it, along with the required supporting documentation to the Housing Support Team.

Please note that caravan loan applications will only be accepted until COB on the 31st March 2026. If you apply after this time, your application will be reviewed in the next calendar year.

Caravan Loan repayments must be made on a weekly basis and can be paid using a Household Budget form or Standing Order (forms will be completed at sign up). Alternatively, payments can be made at our Cash Office. Payments can be made by cash, bank draft, cheque, debit and credit card. You can post your cheques or drop into the Council’s Payment office in County Hall, Swords, Co. Dublin or at Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin15.

It is also possible to accept phone payments. If you wish to pay by credit card or debit card, please call our cash office at: (01) 8905154.
The Cash office is open from 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.

If you are experiencing difficulties in paying loan repayments, please contact the office at 01 8905000 or for loan repayments to: [email protected] . Alternatively, please contact Traveller MABS for help and advice on money and budgeting.

Illegal Encampments

If you wish to report an illegal occupation by encampment on public land or roads in Fingal County Council, please contact our Estate Management Team on 01 8905000, or by email to [email protected] and include the following information:

* Location of Encampment
* Number of Vehicles
* Has the occupation resulted in an obstruction to pedestrians or traffic

Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (LTACC)

The role of the LTACC is to provide a forum whereby Traveller accommodation issues can be addressed in a timely and co-ordinated manner and where decisions are reached through mutual consensus in as far as possible. The current serving County Councillors are Cllr. Brendan Ryan, Cllr. Breda Hanaphy and Cllr. Helen Redwood.

Safety on our Sites

Fire Safety
In December 2015, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management launched a Programme to Review Fire Safety in Traveller Accommodation. One of the core objectives of the project is the development and roll-out of a Community Fire Safety Awareness Initiative appropriate for the Traveller Community.

The aim of the initiative is to get fire safety messages disseminated into the Traveller Community, enabling Travellers to undertake practical steps regarding fire safety issues commonly associated with living on halting sites.

To support this process, the National Directorate, in consultation with key stakeholders including Traveller Representative Groups, developed an information leaflet and booklet on fire safety for the Traveller Community.

As part of Fingal County Council’s commitment to Fire Safety on our sites, a leaflet drop of the below was completed in first quarter of 2025. In addition to the leaflet drop, quarterly inspections are completed by our Housing Inspectors to inspect H Plates, Fire Hydrant points and Fire Assembly points on each site. Our dedicated contractor will replace any missing fire fighting equipment across all sites, as required and annual servicing takes place in first quarter each year.

Fire Safety in Caravans Leaflet

Fire Separation
On Halting Sites and at Group Housing Schemes, a minimum 6 metre separation is required between units to ensure adequate fire separation. On Some sites in the Fingal Area, fire separating walls have been built to ensure that there is additional protection between units for the families on site.

Adverse Weather
Adverse weather can refer to dangerous or unfavourable weather conditions, such as heavy rain, strong winds, snow, ice or extreme temperatures. These conditions can cause disruptions, make travel difficult and potentially dangerous, and pose risks to life and property. Ireland has seen an increase in adverse weather conditions over the past few years, with weather warnings becoming more frequent.
For those who live in mobile homes, or caravans in halting sites, this adverse weather can pose difficulties for residents. The link below, contains helpful tips to assist citizens protected during periods of adverse weather.

Link to Adverse Weather leaflet

Maintenance

The Estate Management team are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of our Traveller Sites and Group Housing schemes. Tenants are advised to consult their Tenant Handbook prior to contacting Fingal County Council to confirm what repairs are tenant’s responsibility. If you are currently living in Group Housing or standard stock, please refer to the Tenants Handbook. For those residents on Halting Sites, please note that once the unit is out of warranty, maintenance and upkeep of the unit is the responsibility of the tenant. If you wish to log a maintenance request this can be done by contacting the office on 01 8905000, or alternatively by email to [email protected]

Rent

Council tenants must pay rent for their property and halting bay site. Rent payments are payable weekly.

You can pay your Weekly Charge using a 'Rent Card' (available from the Rent Account Management Section on request) at the following locations:

Any Post Office
Retail outlets that operate the Billpay facility
Cash Office- Payments can be made by cash, bank draft, cheque, debit and credit card. You can post your cheques or drop into the Council’s Payment office in County Hall, Swords, Co. Dublin or at Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin15.
We also accept phone payments. If you wish to pay by credit card or debit card, please call our cash office at;
Telephone (01) 8905154.
The Cash office is open from 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.

You can also pay by:

Debit Card
Credit Card
By standing order: Payment can be made by setting up a standing order with your bank. The necessary form is available for download here. Please complete and submit it directly to your bank
The Household Budget Scheme.
This is a scheme that helps those getting certain social protection payments to spread the cost of some household bills over the year. Under the scheme a fixed amount is deducted from your social protection payment each week. The maximum amount that can be deducted is 25% of your total weekly social protection payment. The scheme is operated by An Post and your payment must be paid through your local post office. The Household Budget Scheme is free of charge.
See www.anpost.ie or Telephone Freephone 1800 707 172.
Application forms are available from the Rents Accounts Management Section. It is policy in the case of all new lettings that the tenant, where appropriate, must sign a Household Budget Deduction Form.

Traveller representatives

Who represents the Travelling Community?

Fingal County Council works with the Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, which is made up of County Councillors, Travellers and Traveller Representatives as required under the Housing (Traveller) Accommodation Act 1998. This Committee advise the Council on all matters relating to travellers and in particular their housing needs.

Other agencies include:-

Blanchardstown Travellers Development Group
Parslickstown House
15 Ladyswell Road
Mulhuddart
Dublin 15
D15 X2VW
Telephone: 01 8207812
Email: [email protected]

Finglas Traveller Development Group
Abigail Centre
106 Kildonan Road
Finglas West
Dublin 11
Telephone: 01 5493761
Email: [email protected]

North Fingal Traveller Organisation
The Resource Centre
St Macullins Park
Matt Lane
Balbriggan
Co Dublin
Telephone: 01 8020504

Irish Traveller Movement,
4/5 Eustace St,
Dublin 2.
Telephone: 01 6796577
Fax: 01 6796578
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://itmtrav.ie

Pavee Point Travellers Centre,
46 North Great Charles Street,
Dublin 1.
Telephone: 01 8780255
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.paveepoint.ie

Exchange House Ireland National Travellers Service
61 Great Strand Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
Tel: 01-8721094
Fax: 01-8721118
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.exchangehouse.ie

Traveller Counselling Service
6 Cabra Road
Phibsboro
Dublin 7
Telephone: 01 8685761
Email: https://travellercounselling.ie/

Other services available if you, or any members of your family are experiencing difficulties:

National Traveller MABS
2 North Park
11 North Rd
Finglas
Dublin 11
D11 C820
Telephone: 0818 072230
Email: [email protected]

Samaritans
112 Marlborough Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 116 123
Email: [email protected]

Safe Ireland
Unit 3 Ground Floor
Marshalsea Court
22/23 Merchants Quay
Dublin 8
D08 N8VC
Telephone: 01 5783001
Email: [email protected]